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A benefit concert featuring four area bands will raise funds and awareness for the effort to make renovations needed to reopen Collinsville’s historic Miner’s Theatre.
“Rockin’ for the Miner’s” is sponsored by Scott Credit Union and is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, May 31 at American Legion Post 365, 1022 Vandalia in Collinsville. Tickets are $10 — $5 for children 12 and under — and are available at the door or in advance at the Collinsville Chamber of Commerce, 221 W. Main St. and www.historicminersinstitute.org.
All proceeds will benefit the Miner’s Institute Foundation (MIF), which is working to raise funds to make the building American’s with Disabilities Act accessible and complete other improvements required to reopen the historic theater.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Miner’s Theatre was funded by union miners and opened on Dec. 28, 1918 as a performance space, United Mine Workers union hall, and a place to hold community meetings.
“The Miner’s Theatre is one of Collinsville’s most valuable historic, architectural and cultural assets, and we’re delighted to be part of the effort to raise the funds needed to reopen it,” said Jennifer Riebold, community relations representative for Scott Credit Union. “The benefit promises to be a great time, and it’s certainly for a fantastic cause.”
In addition to live music, the event will feature a silent auction, 50/50 drawing, and other activities. There will be a cash bar, and food will be available.
Several area bands are donating their time and talents for the show, including:
– The VCR’s, a St. Louis-based band dedicated to the music of the 1990s, spitting out Weezer and Pearl Jam covers like all good alterna-kids should. The Riverfront Times named the VCR’s “Best Cover Band St.Louis 2013.”
– Pro Bono & the Non-Billables, a rock band made up of co-workers from St. Louis public relations firm FleishmanHillard that has organized and played shows that have raised more than $100,000 for charities like the United Way of Greater St. Louis, Our Little Haven and Challenger Baseball. Collinsville area residents may be more familiar with the band as Spaghetti Western – the name it uses when it’s not playing for charity, including eight appearances at the Italian Fest from 2003 to 2013.
– Quarter Draw Band, a Madison County-based band that plays everything from rock ‘n roll to southern-fried boogie, greasy blues, even a bit of honky tonk country. QDB was one of two Illinois bands chosen to play the Governor’s Day Picnic in Springfield last year and has appeared at area bars and festivals including the International Horseradish Festival, the Italian Fest and the World’s Largest Catsup Bottle Festival.
– The Jammin’ Ringtonz, a five-piece mostly acoustic band from the Edwardsville area. The band draws its repertoire from a wide variety of musical genres, from traditional folk and blues to songs by John Prine, Greg Brown, the Grateful Dead, the Band and Lou Reed, along with original material.
– Darin Meskil of Highland-based DM Audio, which provides premium concert support services for area bands and events, is providing sound and lights.
“This is going to be a blast – I can’t wait,” said Miner’s Institute Foundation President Leah Joyce. “These bands are great and really bring a range of musical styles. Some of them even use picks – although I don’t think they’re the same kind Collinsville’s miners used a century ago.”
About the Miner’s Institute Foundation:
The Miner’s Institute Foundation (MIF) is a non-profit corporation organized by volunteer citizens for the purpose of raising funds for the rehabilitation and support of the Miner’s Theatre.
The Miner’s Institute Foundation will support the advancement of the arts and recreation by cultivating, promoting, bolstering, sponsoring and developing in our community an appreciation and understanding of all the arts and recreation. For more information visit www.historicminersinstitute.org.
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